Lullabies for Eric and Clementine
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: This is a series of songs that Katniss and Peeta would sing to their children, Eric and Clementine. Most of these songs are real, with only one that features adjusted lyrics. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Suddenly

Chapter 1: Suddenly

Eric Thomas Mellark had been brought home from the hospital only that day. It was his first night in his home in District 12. Naturally, the transition left him crying incessantly. Downstairs, the baby's grandfather-in-all-but-blood, Haymitch Abernathy, heard the wails and went up to the nursery to calm Eric so his parents would not have to. Holding the baby, the normally gruff former Hunger Games victor was overcome with love - a love he felt upon first holding the boy when he was born. Haymitch began to sing:

 _Suddenly you're here. Suddenly it starts. Can two anxious hearts beat as one?_

 _Yesterday I was alone. Today you walk beside me. Something still unclear. Something not yet here has begun._

 _Suddenly the world seems a different place. Somehow full of grace, full of light._

 _How was I to know that so much hope was held inside me?_

 _What is past is gone, Now we journey on through the night._

 _How was I to know at last_

 _That happiness can come so fast?_

 _Trusting me the way you do_

 _I'm so afraid of failing you._

 _Just a child who cannot know that danger follows where I go._

 _There are shadows everywhere_

 _And memories I cannot share._

 _Never more alone, never more apart. You have warmed my heart like the sun. You have brought the gift of life and love so long denied me._

 _Suddenly I see what I could not see._

 _Something suddenly has begun._

Haymitch placed Eric back in his crib, and cracked, "Don't tell your mama about that, lad. She's the best singer in this family anyway." And with that he went back to bed.

* * *

A/N: This is a song from the musical Les Miserables - a new one that was specifically written for Hugh Jackman in the 2012 film.


	2. Chp 2: I Swear I'd Give my Life for You

Chapter 2: I Swear I'd Give my Life for You

A few nights later, Katniss Mellark was awoken by her child's cries. She went into Eric's room to find him trashing under the blankets. Nightmare, no doubt. Katniss wished her child would never have to go through nightmares like she did. It had been this fear that had driven her into not having children for many years. She had finally given in and made that ultimate sacrifice for Peeta's sake. Her husband deserved the chance to be a father. She picked up Eric and sat in the corner rocking chair. These thoughts swirled through her mind as she began to sing:

 _You who I cradled in my arms_

 _You asking as little as you can_

 _Little snip of a little man_

 _I swear I'd give my life for you._

 _You didn't ask me to be born_

 _Why should you learn of war or pain?_

 _To make sure you're not hurt again_

 _I swear I'd give my life for you._

 _I've tasted love beyond all fear_

 _And you should know it's love_

 _That brought you here._

 _And in one perfect night_

 _When the stars burned like new,_

 _I knew what I must do._

 _I'll give you a million things I'll never own_

 _I'll give you a world to conquer when you're grown._

 _You will be who you want to be_

 _You can choose whatever heaven grants_

 _As long as you can have your chance,_

 _I swear I'll give my life for you._

 _You will be who you want to be_

 _You can choose whatever heaven grants_

 _As long as you can have your chance,_

 _I swear I'll give my life for you._

 _No one can stop what I must do_

 _I swear I'll give my life for you!_

In song, Katniss made this vow. She knew she would have the power to fulfill it, with Peeta and Haymitch's help. Though she was still terrified over how to be a good mother, her now peaceful baby gave her some hope as she closed the door to his nursery.

* * *

A/N: This is a song from the musical _Miss Saigon_. Listen to the original version with Lea Salonga - it's really good!


	3. Chapter 3: Deep in the Meadow

Chapter 3: Deep in the Meadow

Eric was now only a few weeks old. His parents, Peeta and Katniss, were adjusting to getting up at all hours of the night to tend to him. So it was one summer's night. Eric would not stop crying. Peeta was rocking him in the rocking chair in the corner of the baby's nursery. It wasn't going well. Haymitch now tried to help.

"Oh, come on now, Eric, don't cry. It's just me. See? I'm just…I'm just your silly Grandpa Haymitch!", making faces as he said this. Next second, the former Hunger Games victor jumped back, actually startled, as Eric's wails picked up in volume. "Oh, jeez!"

"Nice try, Haymitch," Peeta said sincerely. He turned to his wife. "Katniss, honey, I think he wants you. That's all I can think of." Katniss looked both fearful of making things worse and doubtful that she could help.

"I can't."

"Yes, you can," Peeta encouraged, holding out the bundle that housed their son. "You must have done stuff like this for…for Prim when she was little." Upon pointing this out, Katniss gingerly took the sleeping infant into her arms. Rocking Eric gently, she began to sing the first song that came into her head:

 _Deep in the meadow, under the willow,_

 _A bed of grass, a soft green pillow_

 _Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes_

 _And when you awake, the sun will rise._

 _Here it's safe, here it's warm_

 _Here the daisies guard you from harm_

 _Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true_

 _Here is the place where I love you._

 _Deep in the meadow, hidden far away_

 _A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray._

 _Forget your woes and let your troubles lay_

 _And when again it's morning, they'll wash away._

 _Here it's safe, here it's warm_

 _Here the daisies guard you from harm_

 _Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true_

 _Here is the place where I love you._

By the end, Eric was sound asleep. Peeta and Haymitch were staring at Katniss, almost stunned.

"OK, that's it," said Haymitch. "You're putting him back to bed from now on!"

"Haymitch!"

Peeta could only smile at his wife and second father's banter.


	4. Chapter 4: The Valley Song

Chapter 4: The Valley Song

By the time Eric was about a year old, his sleeping patterns had drastically improved. However, there was one thing that could still keep him up, and that was thunderstorms. Whenever thunder rumbled across the dark skies of District 12, the young toddler could not sleep. Peeta said that Eric probably had a pathological fear when it came to the erratic weather pattern.

Fortunately, Katniss had one fool-proof solution, almost as effective as Peeta's holding her at night to drive away her nightmares.

One stormy night, Katniss rose out of the bed she shared with her husband, careful not to wake him as she followed Eric's cries to his nursery. She found her child thrashing and wailing under the covers of his crib.

"Ssshhh, Eric, it's OK. I'm here, Mommy's here. Let's get you sleeping so we don't wake up Daddy, all right?" Gathering him in her arms and smiling at his little face, she bounced him gently and began to sing an ancient song. It was from the olden days, before Panem, and she had learned the tune in school. In fact, it was the very song that Peeta said made him fall in love with her:

 _Down in the valley, the valley so low_

 _Hang your head over, hear the wind blow_

 _Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow;_

 _Hang your head over, hear the wind blow_

 _Roses lovve sunshines, violets love dew,_

 _Angels in Heaven know I love you,_

 _Know I love you, dear, know I love you._

 _If you don't love me, love whom you please,_

 _Throw your arms 'round me, give my heart ease,_

 _Give my heart ease, dear, give my heart ease,_

 _Throw your arms 'round me, give my heart ease._

 _Build me a castle, forty feet high;_

 _So I can see her as she rides by._

 _As she rides by, dear, as she rides by,_

 _So I can see her as she rides by._

 _Write me a letter, Send it by mail,_

 _Send it in care of Birmingham Jail._

 _Birmingham Jail, love, Birmingham Jail._

 _Send it in care of Birmingham Jail._

Katniss had never figured out exactly what Birmingham Jail was, though as a child, her teachers used to say that Birmingham was a city within one of the many United States of America, an ancient country that had preceded Panem centuries before. Nevertheless, the tune was lively and romantic; Katniss could see why Peeta had fallen for her with that tune oh so long ago. The singer was practically asking to be loved.


	5. Chapter 5: The Hanging Tree

Chapter 5: The Hanging Tree

3 year old Eric Mellark could not wait to meet his little sister. As the date of the new baby's arrival drew nearer, Katniss and Peeta found it harder and harder to put him to bed. The little boy would simply not shut up.

"When is my little sister coming again, Mommy?" Eric asked for the millionth time, as he reluctantly crawled into his bed. Katniss smiled at him.

"Tell you what, my little baker - if you go right to sleep after I sing you a lullaby, then I promise I'll tell you in the morning when your sister's coming." Eric nodded eagerly and snuggled down under the covers as Katniss began to sing the song her father had taught her:

 _Are you, are you,_

 _Coming to the tree_

 _Where they strung up a man they say who murdered three_

 _Strange things did happen here_

 _No stranger would it be_

 _If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree_

 _Are you, are you,_

 _Coming to the tree_

 _Where the dead man called out for his love to flee_

 _Strange things did happen here_

 _No stranger would it be_

 _If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree_

 _Are you, are you,_

 _Coming to the tree_

 _Where I told you to run so we'd both be free_

 _Strange things did happen here_

 _No stranger would it be_

 _If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree_

 _Are you, are you,_

 _Coming to the tree_

 _Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me_

 _Strange things did happen here_

 _No stranger would it be_

 _If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree_

Eric sat quietly. Finally he spoke, "That's a sad song, Mommy. Where did you learn it?"

"From your Grandaddy Everdeen."

"Did he die in the war?"

Katniss bit her lip. "No. He died when Mommy was little. A long time ago."

"Oh," Eric said softly. He thought for a moment. "At least, I have Grandpa Haymitch, right?"

Katniss bent over him and grinned. "That's right, munchkin. Good night." She kissed his forehead and slowly left the room, closing the door behind her.


	6. Chp 6: Don't Cry for me, my Dear Panem

Chapter 6: Don't Cry for Me, my Dear Panem

A few months later, Katniss and Peeta were trying to adjust to the presence of their second child, Clementine Primrose Mellark. Much like her big brother Eric before her, Clementine would awake multiple times a night. This cold winter's night was no different, as Katniss traded duty with Haymitch, the latter of whom had tried and failed to calm the baby girl the first time around. Katniss thought of the song that had been composed for her to perform during Panem's 15th anniversary of independence a few years earlier. It had been both a return to the national spotlight and an apology for her lack of presence in Panem affairs over those many years. As a political move, it had been genius. As a simple lullaby, it was beautiful:

 _I had to let it happen, I had to change._

 _Couldn't stay all my life down at heel._

 _Looking out of the window, staying out of the sun._

 _So I chose freedom, running around, trying everything new._

 _But nothing impressed me at all._

 _I never expected it to._

 _Don't cry for me, my dear Panem._

 _The truth is I never left you._

 _All through my Hunger Games, my Mockingjay-ness._

 _I kept my promise, don't keep your distance._

 _And as for fortune, and as for fame,_

 _I never invited them in._

 _Though it seemed to the world they were all I desired._

 _They are illusions, they're not the solutions they promise to be._

 _The answer was here all the time._

 _I love you and hope you love me._

 _Don't cry for me, my dear Panem._

 _The truth is I never left you._

 _All through my Hunger Games, my Mockingjay-ness._

 _I kept my promise, don't keep your distance._

 _Have I said too much? There's nothing more I can think of to say to you._

 _But all you have to do is look at me to know that every word is true._

Clementine was asleep just after the last refrain. Katniss kissed her baby's cheek sweetly and whispered, "Sleep well, my little Clementine. I love you." Then, she placed the infant back in her crib. Turning away, she was startled to find Peeta leaning against the doorframe, bleary-eyed and with a soft smile.

"Just like your father. Two arenas, a war, and two kids later, and you've still got it!" Katniss gave a shy smile and blushed, before allowing her husband to lead them back to their bed.

* * *

A/N: A revised version of "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" from _Evita_. There is a really great Lea Michele cover of this from Glee.


	7. Chapter 7: Father Daughter Song

Chapter 7: Father Daughter Song

Clementine was only a few weeks old. She still had notoriously erratic sleeping patterns that almost always left her crying.

One night, her cries summoned her father, Peeta Mellark. Picking the little girl up, the young baker and former Hunger Games victor tried to emulate his wife's singing voice using a tune he had heard on the radio:

 _If you leap awake in the mirror of a bad dream_

 _And for a fraction of a second you can't remember where you are._

 _Just open your window and follow your memory upstream_

 _To the meadow in the mountain where we counted every falling star._

 _I believe the light that shines on you will shine on you forever_

 _And though I can't guarantee there's nothing scary hiding under your bed_

 _I'm gonna stand guard like the postcard of a golden retriever_

 _And never leave till I leave you with a sweet dream in your head_

 _I'm gonna watch you shine_

 _Gonna watch you grow_

 _Gonna paint a sign_

 _So you'll always know_

 _As long as one and one is two_

 _There could never be a father who loved his daughter more than I love you._

Clementine now passed out anew in his arms, Peeta laid her back in her crib, kissed her cheek and promptly went back to bed, snuggling up against his wife and kissing her forehead before passing out himself.

* * *

A/N: Paul Simon song. Yes, _that_ Paul Simon, from Simon and Garfunkel.


	8. Chapter 8: Lion Sleeps Tonight

Chapter 8: Lion Sleeps Tonight

The Mellark children grew up fast and splendidly. But, they did have their own quirks and fears. When Eric was about 6, making Clementine about 3, the young boy became convinced that there was some kind of monster roaming the house at night. Things went bump in the night all the time, but Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch did not want to ruin the boy's imagination - even when he became convinced the monster was out to eat him and woke up screaming one night, waking the whole house. Katniss held her son as he sniffled into her nightgown.

"I promise you, no monster is ever going to eat you on my watch," Katniss vowed. "Besides, he won't come looking for you at night. He's sleeping." She looked to Peeta and Haymitch for confirmation and they nodded vigorously.

"How do you know, Mommy?" asked Eric.

"I can prove it. I'll sing that monster away; sing him to sleep just like you." And with that she began to sing:

 _In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight._

 _In the jungle, the quiet jungle, the lion sleeps tonight…._

She paused, and looked back at her husband and surrogate father, one eyebrow raised. The men looked at each other and sighed before reluctantly backing her up. Haymitch did not try to hide how stupid he thought this was or how silly they sounded:

 _A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh…._

"Like you mean it!" Katniss snapped. Peeta and Haymitch obeyed by merely singing louder, but Katniss seemed satisfied. Her back-up singers now set, she turned back to Eric and continued to sing:

 _Near the village, the peaceful village, the lion sleeps tonight._

 _Near the village, the quiet village, the lion sleeps tonight._

 _Hush, my darling, don't fear my darling, the lion sleeps tonight._

 _Hush, my darling, don't fear my darling, the lion sleeps tonight…._

By the end of the song, Eric was fast asleep. Peeta and Haymitch stopped in mid-"a-wimoweh."

"Thank God!" Haymitch growled, and pointed a finger at Katniss. "Don't ever make me do that again, sweetheart!"

"Fine," Katniss replied shortly. "Then, don't expect to get any fresh game until you learn how to be a helpful part of this family."

Peeta snickered, but his wife noticed.

"As for you, **_my love_** ," she snarled. "If you don't get more enthusiastic about putting our children to sleep, you can forget us ever having sex again once they are down!"

"What did I do?" Peeta gaped, feigning innocence and hurt.

"Don't pull that boyish charm bullshit with me, darling. You know damn well what you did!" Katniss bit back. With that, she stomped past both men out of the room.

"I don't like it when she does that," Peeta hissed to Haymitch. The reformed drunk just shrugged.

"What's there to like?" Peeta then defended his wife's honor by thwacking the old man upside the head.


	9. Chapter 9: Lavenders Green

Chapter 9: Lavenders Green

Little Clementine was about 5-years-old, almost ready to start school. She was a little nervous, to say the least.

"What if my teachers don't like me, Mama?" she asked as Katniss helped her into bed one night.

"That'll never happen, my precious flower," Katniss said gently with a small smile. "They'll do more than like you - they'll love you. As much as Daddy and Grandpa and I love you."

"Do you really love me, Mommy?" Clementine asked.

Katniss blinked in astonishment. "Of course I do! I know that you love me and your family. That's enough for me." With that, she began singing Clementine a lullaby:

 _Lavenders green, dilly, dilly_

 _Lavenders, blue._

 _You must love me, dilly, dilly,_

 _For I love you._

She continued with this refrain and verses until Clementine was fast asleep. Katniss kissed her cheek and then quietly left.


	10. Chapter 10: Lullaby of the Shadows

Chapter 10: Lullaby of the Shadows

As winter came, 11-year-old Eric and 8-year-old Clementine would always hate that the sun went down a little earlier. The evening shadows frightened them a little. They frightened Katniss, too, reminding her of sleepless nights in the arena, but she could never show such fear to her children. To quench their fears, she pretended that the shadows were good and not evil. It was like a game, one of many that she and Peeta had invented over the years. After all, there are much worse Games to play.

So, it was one night as Katniss tucked both Eric and Clementine into bed. She sang them a song that she had invented herself, about how the shadows of the night would protect her babies as they slept. Pretty soon, with this reassurance, both Mellark kids would be out. Katniss and then Peeta would kiss them softly and then quietly slip out the door, closing it behind them until only a sliver of light remained.

* * *

A/N: This was me trying to actually write my own song. I knew the themes that I wanted, but I could not come up with the lyrics and music.


End file.
